Spooling-machine.



A. E. RHOADES.

SPOOLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 1915.

1 ,261,619. Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- q v m m W Witnesses.-

Akm-go E. Rhoadea,

A. E. RHOADES.

SPOOLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION nuzo MAR. 1B. 1915.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 inventor.

Fig.3.

WiInessess.

Alongo ERhoades, by7eudW liTED STACETE PATENT @hhltlhl ALONZO E. nHoADEs, or HOPEDALE; MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTs, TO DRAPER' CORPORATION, or HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- TION' 0F MAINE.

SPOOLING-MACHINE.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed March is, 1915. Serial ac. 15,313.

To all whom; it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALorzo E. Rnoanss, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hopedalc', county of \Vorcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Spooling-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in spo'oling machines and the principal object thereof is to provide means for winding a spool having a large base and a relatively small head adapted to permit the yarn to be drawn from the spool in a direction substantially axially thereof. The majority of spools are provided with heads of equal diameter and the yarn is wound upon the spool by a relatively reciprocating member having a uniform traverse so that the yarn mass is substantially cylindrical in form. When such spools are unwound they are placed upon a creel or other support so that the axis of the spool is disposed atright angles to the direction in which the yarn is drawn from the spool. In some types of machines however, such as the Foster winder the yarn is drawn from the bobbins of spools in substantially an axial direction in which case the upper end of the spool is providedwith a relatively small head. The present invention relates to mechanism for winding such spools with a maximum amount of material so laid upon the spool hat it may be unwound readily without undue friction upon the head of the spool or unnecessary resistance due to the pulling of one spiral over another. 7

In order to accomplish this result I have provided means for so winding the spool that the lower portion thereof presents a substantially cylindrical mass While the upper portion is conoidal in form, each traverse of the yarn upon the bobbin extending from the base thereof to the top, the lower portion of the bobbin being wound with a substantially uniform traverse while the upper portion thereof is wound with a rapidly increasing traverse as it approaches the top of the spool and a correspondingly decreasing traverse upon the reversal of the direction of the traverse.

I have so designed this mechanism that it may be applied to a spooler of the usual type without material modification of the mechanism for actuating the parts thereof. By merely removing the chains which connect the oscillating drum of the spooler to the sector shoe which actuates the rocker arms for tho traverse rod and substituting the improved mechanism embodying this invention, the spooler may be changed from one which will wind a substantially cylindrical spool to one which will wind a spool having a cylii'ldrical base portion merging into a conical top portion of the character above described.

I have also devised an improved spool having one large head and a relatively small head, the latter being provided with a metallic surface over which the thread may be drawn from the spool with a minimum amount of friction and without the likelihood of abradil'ig the thread as it is being drawn 011'.

Other features and objects of the invention will more fully appear from the following description, the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out. in the annexed claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a partial side elevation, broken out to economize space, of a spooler embodying the preferred form of my invention,

ig. 2 is an end elevation thereof,

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the cams which control the speed of traverse of the yarn along the axis of the spool, and,

Fig. l is a detail view partly in section of a spool wound upon a machine embodying my invention. I

The preferred form of the invention is illustrated herein as applied to a usual type of spooler such as that illustrated in my prior Patent No. 744,797 granted Nov. 24, 1903', and comprises main supporting frames 1, 2, 3 connected near their lower ends by rods 4, and supporting at their upper ends rails 5 upon which suitable spool holders 6 are rotatably mounted, the shafts of the spool holders 6 being; provided with whorls 7 driven by suitable belts passing around the usual drum 8 which is mounted upon a shaft 9 extending longitudinally of the frame and provided with a driving pulley 10 of the ordinary character.

As is usual in spooling machines the spindles are arranged symmetrically upon opposite sides of the drum 8 and the traverse mechanism wiich lays the thread upon the spools is actuated simultaneously for both sets of spool holders.

Rods 11 extending longitudinally of the frame and suitably secured thereto support bobbin holders which, comprise curved bases to receive the bobbins attached to stands 13 which are provided with U-shaped extensions 1st clamped by set screws 15 to the rod 11. The stands 13 also have upwardly and outwardly extending arms 16 to which a pair of guards 17 are yieldably secured. The thread is led from the bobbins, which rest upon the curved bases beneath the guards 17 and upwardly through thread guides which are clamped upon a reciprocating traverse rod 18, to the spool.

The thread guides preferably are in the form of loops 19 extending laterally from clamps 20 fastened by suitable screws 21 upon the traverse rod 18, the thread guiding portion 22 of the clamps being arranged horizontally. In order to prevent the wearing of a groove in the thread guide by the thread which is being delivered to the spool, the traverse rod is supported upon pivotal arms through which it is given a slight longitudinal motion in addition to its vertical traverse motion in the following manner so that the thread plays back and forth along the horizontal portion 22.

. As illustrated herein the rails 5 are provided with oppositely disposed bearings 23 for the journals of swinging or oscillating yoke-like members 24f, the journals being disposed transversely of the frame so that the yokes are fulcrumed to swing between the side frames as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

The yokes are provided with horizontal extensions 25 upon which are secured short arms 26 having laterally and vertically oilset portions 27 adapted to engage the under faces of rocker arms 28, which are pivotally supported upon the extensions 25. The offset portions 27 of the arms 26 support and actuate the arms 28 and may be adjusted in relation thereto by suitable adjusting screws 29 whereby the height of the traverse rail relative to the spool holder may be regulated. The arms 28 are pivotally attached at their outer ends to the lower ends of brackets 30 which are rigidly secured to the traverse rods 18. The yoke members are pro vided with downwardly and laterally extending lugs 31 which are connected to a rod 82 extending longitudinally of the frame by means of set screws 33 or other suitable fastenings and all of the yokes are oscillated simultaneously and in unison through a curved shoe 34 secured to one of the yokes 2-1 and connected by chains 35-36, preferably through suitable controlling mechanism 37 hereinafter to be described, with a drum 88 which is rotated alternately in opposite directions by a mangled gear 39 to wind up and unwind the chain 36.

Any suitable mechanism of the character common in machines of this type may be used for actuating the drum 38. As illustrated herein such mechanism comprises a pulley 10 upon the main shaft connected by a belt 41 with a pulley l2 mounted upon a shaft 43 which may be journaled at one end in a bearing upon the frame, and at the other end in a bearin e 1- at the end of a bracket 45. The shaft 43 is provided with a gear 1-6 adapted to mesh with a companion gear l? carried by a shaft as having at its end a pinion d9 engaging the mangled gear 39. In order to provide sufficient lateral movement for the pinion 19 to permit it to run first on the outside and then upon the inside of the mangled gear the shaft 48 desirably may be mounted in bearings in a yokev 50 having a stem 51 pivotally mounted in a suitable hearing in the bracket 45. The mangled gear 39 is mounted upon a shaft 52 suitably journaled in bracket supported by the vertical member 2 of the frame and is provided at its outer end with a gear, not shown which meshes with a gear 53 upon a parallel stub shaft which carries the drum 38, the gear '53 and drum 38 being rigidly connected together and rotatably mounted upon said stub shaft. v

A chain 36, attached to the drum 88 is carried over an idle pulley 54 mounted upon a shaft which is adjustably secured in a slot 55 in a bracket 56 suitably attached to the vertical member 2 of the frame whereby the tension upon the chain 36 may be roughly adjusted. Further adjustment for the chain may be provided by means of a turn buckle 57 conveniently placed in the chain 36. V

The mechanism thus far described may be of the usual character and its operation if the chains 85 and 36 were continuous would be such as to cause a uniform raising and lowering of the traverse rod 18 relative to the spool support so that the yarn would be wound upon the spool with uniform traverse extending from end to end of the spool in the usual manner, thus form ing the spools most commonly in use. 7 My invention resides in providing an attachment for varying the speed of traverse of the yarn upon the spool so that the lower portion of the spool will. be wound at a substantially uniform traverse and the upper portion thereof at an increasing speed of traverse as the winding approaches the top of the spool and a corresponding decreasing speed of traverse as the yarn is wound from the top of the spool toward the central por- 'tion, merging at substantially the central portion of the spool into a uniform traverse.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed herein I have interposed a detachably mounted controlling device 37 between the chains 35, and 36 which will effect a gradually decreasing speed of traverse from the base of the spool to a short distance above the same, a uniform speed of traverse therefrom to the upper central portion of the spool and a greater progressively increasing speed of traverse therefrom to the top of the spool. Upon reverse movement a rapid downwardly decreasing speed of traverse complementary to the increasing speed of traverse last defined is effected to the upper central portion of the spool, a uniform speed of traverse therefrom to a point adjacent the base of the spool, and a progressively increasing downward traverse to the base of the spool complementary to the initial movement above defined, thereby forming a spool having a sub stantially cylindrical body portion with a tapered top from which the yarn can be wound off readily in the manner above re ferred to. The contraction or conicity of the winding adjacent the base of the spool prevents any winding being thrown over the bottom of the spool but is insufficient to interfere with the winding off of the yarn in the manner described.

The controller 37 which effects this movement, illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises a drum having a central disk or web with cam members 62, 63 disposed on opposite sides thereof to which thechains 35, 36 are secured and upon which they are wound. The controller 37 is mounted upon a suitable shaft 58 supported upon a bracket 59 depending from the plate 5, to which it may be secured at any convenient point by bolts 60. The controller which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 3 comprises a drum consisting of a central disk 61 having cam shaped members 62, 63 located. upon opposite sides of said disk and oppositely arranged. The member 62 is provided with a flat face 62 located quite near the shaft 58 which merges quickly into a cylindrical portion 64 which is concentric with the shaft 58 and extends through somewhat more than a quadrant where it merges into an eccentric face 65 of constantly in creasi g radius until it reaches the flat face 62*.

The chain 35 as illustrated in Fig. 1 is attached to the flat face 62 of this cam. The cam 63 which. lies upon the opposite side of the disk 61 and is oppositely disposed thereto comprises a flat portion 66 which merges into a concentric portion 67 extending through approximately a quadrant" and thereafter merging into an eccentric portion of progressively increasing radius until the same reaches the flat portion 66. The chain 36 is attached to the flat portion 66 of the cam member 63. When the parts are assembled in the machine as illustrated in Fig. 1,-the drum 38 being rotated alternately in opposite directions with a uniform movement as is usual in spooling machines,the controller is so positioned that the engagement of the chains 35 and 36 with the concentric members 64, 67 of the cam member 62 and 63 that the same will impart to the traverse bar 18 a uniform movement from a point adjacent the base of the spool preferably to a point above the longitudinal central portion thereof, so that a uniform traverse of the yarn upon the spool will be effected from a point adjacent the base of the spool throughout the central portion thereof. When however, the controller 37 is rotated sufficiently to cause the chain 36 to ride upon the cam shaped portion 62 a greater speed of traverse is given to the traverse bar 18 and consequently the winding on the spool is laid with a progressively increasing speed of traverse toward the top of the spool.

Then the rotation of the drum 38 is reversed the opposite action takes place and the traverse rod 18 descends rapidly from the top of the spool and at a decreasing rate of speed until the chain 36 engages the concentric portion 64 of the cam member 62. A uniform speed is then transmitted to the rail 18 which continues until the rail approaches its lowermost position when the chain is actuated by the cam shaped portion 68 of the cam 63 at which time a greater speed of movement toward the base of the spool is effected, thus causing an increase in the speed of the traverse from a short distance above the base of the spool to said base. v

The preferred form of spool thus wound is illustrated in detail in Fig. d in which the spoolis indicated as comprising a central spindle 70 of wood having at its lower end a disk-like head 71 and at its upper end a similar but smaller disk-like head 72.

The body portion 73 of the winding is cylindrical in form and of substantially the diameter of the base 71 of the spool but of slight eonicity as it approaches said base, while the upper portion 74 presents the form of a truncated cone, the top of which is of substantially the same circumference as the disk 72-.

in order to provide a convenient means whereby the controller 37 may be applied to or removed from a usual type of spooler, the controller 37 may be provided with detached flexible members or chains 35, 36 winch may be substituted for the usual chain which runs from the drum38 to the curved shoe 34:. By reason of this construction the present invention may be introduced in the usual type of spooler by merely disconnecting the usual chain which runs from the drum 38 to the curved shoe 34:, attaching the bracket 59 to the spooler frame and securing the chains 35 and 36 respectively to the shoe 34 and drum 38.

In order to reduce the friction upon the thread as it is being pulled off from the spool by a Foster winding machine or machine of like character the head 72 of the spool may be provided with a reduced annular portion 75 and a metallic ring 76 spun upon the reduced portion 74 so that the periphery of the head 72 over which the yarn is drawn from the spool will present a smooth surface. This reduces the friction materially and also avoids the possibility of the thread being caught by fibers extending from the periphery of the head 72, or defects therein caused by the checking of the wood or abrasions to the head.

The spoo'ling machine above described may be provided with the usual supports 80 for bobbin holders 81 having inclined walls 82 disposed beneath the bobbin holders 1:2 so that bobbins discharged upon them may be deflected downwardly to suitable delivery mechanism. As illustrated herein the delivery mechanism for the doffed bobbins may comprise an endless belt 83 extending longitudinally of the machine at the side of the frame and driven by a pulley 85 which may conveniently be actuated through a gear 86 and worm 87 suitably journaled in the frame, which worm may be driven through a pulley 88, and chain 89 from a suitable pulley 90 upon the shaft 43. This mechanism however is old and forms no part of this invention.

It is to be understood that the embodi ment of the invention disclosed herein is 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is: V

1. In a spooler comprising a rotatable spool carrier and a traverse bar having a thread guide, means for causing a relative reciprocating movement therebetween to effect a winding upon the spool from the bottom upwardly of progressively decreasing speed of traverse to a point a short distance above the base of the spool, merging into a uniform speed of traverse therefrom upwardly to the central longitudinal portion thereof, a greater progressively increasing speed of traverse from said upper central portion to the top thereof, a complementary progressively decreasing speed of traverse downwardly from the top of the spool to the central portion thereof, a uniform speed of traverse from the central portion of the spool to a point adjacent the base thereof and a progressively increasing speed of traverse to the base of the spool whereby a spool having a truncated conical top portion and a slightly contracted bottom portion will be wound.

2. A spooler comprising a series of rotatable spool carriers, a traverse rod having a series of thread guides in operative rela: tion to said spools, an arm having a curved shoe connected to said traverse rod, means for reciprocating said traverse rod including a drum, means for rotating the same alternately in opposite directions at uniform speed, flexible members connected respectively to said drum and to said shoe, a con troller having cam members connected respectively to said flexible members, said cam members having concentric surfaces simultaneously engaged by said flexible members and eccentric surfaces operating alternately upon said flexible members to increase the speed of traverse of said traverse rod as it approaches the upper and lower limits of its movement, whereby a winding upon the spool will be produced having a substantially cylindrical body portion with conoidal' end portions.

3. A spooler comprising a series of rotatable spool carriers, a traverse rod having a series of thread guides in operative relation to said spools, an arm having a curved shoe connected to said traverse rod, means for reciprocating said traverse rod including a drum, means for rotating the same alternately in opposite directions at uniform speed, flexible members connected respectively to said drum and to said shoe, a controller having cam members connected respectively to said flexible members, said cam members havingconcentric surfaces simultaneously engaged by said flexible members and eccentric surfaces operating alternately upon said flexible members to increase the speed of traverse of said traverse rod as it approaches the upper and lower limits of its movement, whereby a winding upon the spool will be produced having a substantially cylindrical body portion with conoidal end portions, the cams of said controller being so disposed that a greater conicity will be produced at the top of the spool than at the bottom thereof. 7

4. A spooler comprising a series of roing concentric surfaces simultaneously engaged by said flexible members and eccentric surfaces operating alternately upon said flexible members to increase the speed of traverse of said traverse rod as it approaches the upper and lower limits of its movement whereby a Winding upon the spool will be produced having a substantially cylindrical body portion with conoidal end portions.

5. A spooler comprising a series of rotatable spool carriers, a traverse rod having a series of thread guides in operative relation to said spools, an arm having a curved shoe connected to said traverse rod, means for reciprocating said traverse rod including a drum, means for rotating the same alternatively in opposite directions at uniform speed, flexible members connected respectively to said drum and to said shoe, a controller having cam members connected respectively to said flexible members, said cam members having concentric surfaces simultaneously engaged by said flexible members and eccentric faces operable alternatively upon said flexible members adapted to increase the speed of traverse of said traverse rod as it approaches the upper and lower limits of its movement, whereby a winding upon the spool will be produced having a substantially cylindrical body portion with conoidal end portions, the cams of said controller being so disposed that a greater conicity will be produced at the top of the spool than at the bottom theerof, a bracket for supporting said controller adapted to be detachably secured to the spooler frame and means for detachably connecting said flexible members respectively to said shoe and said drum.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALONZO E. RI-IOADES.

Witnesses:

ROBERT J AMIESON, DANA OSGOOD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

